Helicopter Sonobuoy Patrol Patterns
Thought I would send another, Just a small one, but I have never seen it used by anyone but me.
Helo sonobuoy patrols within the formation. This probably comes under the heading of "Personal taste" but here goes.
I will set Helo 1 to a zone about 1/2 mile wide and from the 28 mile ring out to the 33 mile ring. This lays buoys along the PIM. I will set Helo's 2 and 3, left and right of this one. Their zones are set along the 32 mile range ring, and also 1/2 a mile wide. These zones begin about 2-3 mile from Helo 1's line and stretch 2-4 mile in a concentric circle arc. This forms a "T" shape. I will then set Helo's 4 and 5 at 45 degrees left and right of the PIM, and set a zone for these similar to Helo 1, a 5 mile long, 1/2 mile wide stretching from 28 mile to 33 again. This will cause the helos to lay a "Chevron" pattern. I will repeat this pattern all round the fleet.
LR ASW assets (Vikings, etc.) out to cz2 if I have them, using similar patterns.
This seems to give good coverage, but I will listen to anything better.
Michael C. Deegan